Guiding and supporting structure for drawers



May 3, 1949.

c. B. LUNDSTROM GUIDING AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR DRAWERS Filed July 15, 1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 28 3nventor Carl BLundsErom 18 5 Gay; In.

'(lttornegs M 3, 1949- c. B. LUNDSTROM 2,468,990

GUIDING AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE .FOR DRAWERS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 File d July 1? 1945 Inventor Carl 'B. Lundsirrom 1 Clttornegs Patented May 3, 1949 GUIDING AND SUPPORTING STRUCTURE FOR DRAWER/S Carl Brynolf Lundstrom, Little Falls, N. Y. Application July 13, 1945, Serial No. 604,789 Claims. (01. 45-47) This invention relates to the supporting and guiding mechanism for drawers. The invention is particularly applicable to the drawers of office furniture such as desks and file cabinets.

It has been proposed, prior to my invention, to support a drawer on an underlying cradle but all such arrangements known to me have been cumbersome and expensive.

The invention provides a very simple and economical structure in which the cradle is concealed when the drawer is closed, and so much of it as is exposed when the drawer is open is flush with the sides of the drawer. The cradle has no projecting parts to catch or tear wearing apparel. The cradle runs on ball bearing rollers in guides mounted in the supporting structure, and is readily removable as a unit with the drawer, which in turn is supported by ball bearing rollers on the cradle.

The cradle is a simple rectangular frame of channel steel and has a longitudinal channel member, which coacts with the center guide of the pedestal and itself acts as a center guide for the drawer. In effect, therefore, the two center guides are nested, so that vertical height is minimized and three guiding elements accomplish two distinct but related guiding functions.

An important advantage of the structure is its ready and economical adaptability to wooden furniture and to steel furniture. It can also be used in the composite steel and wood furniture with which certain manufacturers are experimenting.

Preferred embodiments of the invention will now be described by reference to the accompany drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal axial section through a drawer and its guiding and supporting mechanism.

Fig.2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view of the bottom of the drawer with the cradle attached.

Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the drawer and cradle separated.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the essential supporting structure with the cradle in place and the drawer omitted.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a modified form of cradle.

To avoid misunderstanding based on the separation of the drawer and cradle in Figs. 4 and 5,

the fact is mentioned that with the illustrated construction the drawer and cradle can be detached from each other only by the disconnection "of one of the roller brackets from the drawer. The

cradle is readily detachable from the supporting structure as will be explained.

In the drawing, only the main elements of the supporting structure are illustrated, and these are subject to variation according to the use of the device in a desk pedestal, file cabinet or other piece of furniture. As best shown in Fig. 5, these main elements are four uprights ll, l2, l3, M, a front cross-piece l5 which defines the lower margin of the drawer opening, a rear cross-piece l6 and an upright 11 centered between the rear uprights l3 and 14.

Two horizontal parallel guide channels 18 and 19 extend between uprights ll, l3 and l2, l4 respectively. Their channeled faces are presented in opposed relation and their ends are set in notches in the members I l to M as the case may be so that the channels form confining guide grooves closed at their ends. A vertical channel 2| is cut in the member II as clearly shown in Fig. 5 and is used when mounting the cradle in the supporting structure, as a path for inserting a guide roller into the channel on member IS.

A tie member 22 extends between members l5 and i6 and carries a center guide rib or spline 23 which is parallel and approximately in the same horizontal plane as are the members I8 and IS.

The cradle proper is a rectangular frame having channel steel side member 24. As a matter of convenience the end members 25 are also of channel steel but only the side members need be so, and their channeled faces are presented toward each other. At midlength thereis a cross tie 26. Extending down the middle is a center guiding member 21 which fits into notches cut in the lower sides of member 26 and of the rear end member 25. The forwardend of member 21 abuts the front end member 25 (see Fig. 4). The channel in the lower face of member 21 receives rather freely the spline 23.

Mounted on the outer side of side mambers 213 near their rear ends are ball bearing rollers 28 and mounted on members I I and I2 are similar ball bearing rollers 29. An angular stop 3| is mounted in a hole in member 26 so as to be capable of swinging up out of its pendant, engaging position and so as to be capable of sliding through a limited range in the direction of the length of the cradle. When in its pendant position the stop engages member 15 to limit the forward motion of the cradle. It is offset from member 26 sufiiciently to stop the cradle at the desired point, in which the cradle projects for about half its length.

When the latch is swung up to clear member [5, rollers 28 may move the full length of channels l8 and I9. When the cradle is at the extreme forward position the cradle may be tilted to engage and disengage it, one roller 28 then passing through slot 2|. Inward (i. e. rearward) motion of the cradle is limited by buffer 32 on member I! (see Fig. 1). The front end of the cradle is then behind the front faces of members II and I2.

The drawer has a bottom 33 set above the lower margin of the sides 34 and rear end 35, to house partly and conceal the. cross member 33 (hereinafter described), while the sides 34 extend nearly into contact with the top of the cradle. The drawer front 36 has a pendant lip 37 which over hangs and conceals the forward end :of the cradle (see Fig. 1).

At approximately midlength of the drawer a cross-piece 38 is attached to the bottom 33. It has a notch 39 which receives and confines laterally the member 27 of the cradle. At each end the cross-piece 38 carries a metal fixture ll, each of which supports a ball bearing roller 42. The member 38 also carries buffers t3 and A l which engage the member 26 and the front member 25, respectively and thus limit the travel of the drawer relatively to the cradle.

On the rear end of the drawer are two metal clips '45, each of which carries a ball bearing roller lli. Also on this end of the drawer, at its middle, is a forked ,yoke '47 which straddles and laterally confines the member 2i.

As is apparent from the drawings each pair of rollers 12, l'fi is confined in a corresponding one f the side channels 2 of the cradle. Thus the drawer and cradle are permanently connected but are shiftable longitudinally relatively to one another.

If it is notnecessa'ry that the cradle be readily removable, the cradle may be constructed as shown in Fig. 6. This cradle is the same as the one already describedexcept'that it has an extra pair of rollers 129. If these are used the rollers 2'9 of Figs. 1, 2 and are omitted and the slot 21 becomes unnecessary.

The devices above described, operate very freely, are strong and rigid and have the commercial advantage of manufacturing economy.

Probably the most important single feature is the nesting of the center guides clearly shown in Fig. .2. This reduces lost motion and saves verti cal height.

The invention is adaptable to a wide range of drawers and slides and may readily be arranged for use in wood, steel and composite furniture.

What is claimed is:

1. The combination of a supporting structure having an opening for a drawer; a drawer movable through said opening; a cradle underlying said drawer and-comprising a rectangular frame having a longitudinal channel member mounted substantially at the longitudinal center line thereof, said channel member opening toward one face of' the cradle; channeled guiding means serving to sustain sa id cradle in said structure; channeled guiding m'ean's alone serving to sustain said drawer on said cradle; and 'two guiding means mounted respectively on the drawer and on the supporting structure, one of which straddles said longitudinal channel member, and the other of which enters the channel thereof, each said means being effective over at least half the length of the drawer or the cradle, as the case may be, to maintain lateral position and alinement thereof.

2. The combination 'of a supporting structure having an opening fora drawer; a drawer 'mov able through said opening; a cradle underlying said drawer; track-and roller means whereby the cradle is supported in said structure; roller means whereby'the drawer is supported solely on the cradle; a center "guide member mounted on v the cradle; and two guiding means mounted one on the supporting stucture and the other on the drawer, each coasting with said center guide member, and each being effective 'over at least half the length of the drawer or the cradle, as the case may be, to maintain lateral position and alinement thereof.

'3. "The combination of a supporting structure having .an opening for a drawer; a drawer movable through said opening; a cradle underlying said drawer-and comprising a rectangular frame having a longitudinal channel member mounted substantially at the longitudinal center line thereof, said channel member opening toward one face of the cradle; track and roller means whereby said cradle is supported in said structure to move longitudinally approximately half its length through said opening; roller means whereby said drawer is supported solely on said cradle so as to move approximately half its length thereon; and two guiding means mounted respectively on the drawer and on the supporting structure, one o f which straddles said longitudinal channel member and the other of enters the channel thereof, and each of which maintains alinement of themenibervvhich carries it, from the rear end thereof to approximately the mid-length thereof.

4. The combination of -a supporting structure having an opening for adrawer; a drawer movable "through sa-id opening; a cradle underlying said drawer and com-prising a rectangular frame having side members channeled on their internal faces, and a longitudinal member mounted sub- .1 stantia'lly at the longitudinal "center line of "the cradle, said longitudinal member having a channel exposed *on one face of the cradle; channel guides mounted on said supporting structure; rollers'at the rearend of said cradle and-confined in said guides; rollers "at the forward portion of said supporting structure and underlying said cradle; rollers mounted on the drawer and conlined in the channels of the side members of the cradle; and two guiding 'means mounted respectively-on -the drawer and on the supporting structure, the first of which straddles said longi tudinal member at the rear end of and at midlength of the drawer, and the second of "which is a horizontal rib mounted in the housing and confined in the channel of said longitudinal mem. ber throughout the length of the latter when the cradle is retracted.

5. The combination defined in claim 4, in which a releasable stop is provided and normally limits withdrawal o'f'the cradle'and the channel guides on the supporting structure are closed at their ends except for a vertical-slot through which a roller at the rear of the cradle maybe disengaged when the cradle is drawn "forward beyond the limit imposed by said "latch.

CARL BRYNOLF'LUNDSTRGM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 345:22 7 Fraser July 6, I886 442,496 Stone Dec. 9, 1890 644,438 Mertens 'Feb. 27, 199B 958,0 18 Senge -l 'Ma-y 17, 1910 089,514 Wagemaker Mar. 1'0, r914 

